2014 NBA Draft grades

Thursday was an exciting and eventful night in Brooklyn. After the draft had concluded I arrived back in Philadelphia at around 4:00 a.m., and began working on the following draft grades.

It is always of course difficult to judge how a team fared directly after the draft, as it is much easier, and probably more productive to assess a team's draft a couple years down the road after the players have had an opportunity to play professionally for a while.

But still, that doesn't stop of from trying to immediately give grades to teams for their draft day selections. So, without further adieu, let's take a look at some of the grades:

(Note: Below are the draft grades for the first 8 teams in the lottery, the rest of the grades, along with the original article can be found on Philly.com here).
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Cavaliers: A: With so much talent in the 2014 Draft, it would have been difficult for the Cavaliers to mess up the first pick, but it’s tough to put anything past Cleveland. With Wiggins, the Cavs got an athletic wing player with sky-high potential. He has some learning to do, but he has the potential to blossom into one of the game’s better players. The Joe Harris pick in the second round doesn’t necessarily fill a need, but it at least provides Cleveland with a solid shooter. Pretty solid draft day.  

Bucks: B+: The Bucks got their guy in Parker, and he seems genuinely excited about being a Buck. Parker will provide the Bucks with an excellent offensive option and someone they can build around. Milwaukee’s two second-rounders,Inglis and O’Bryant , don’t move the needle too much, although O’Bryant could develop and provide the Bucks with some decent depth up front.

Sixers: B: The Sixers, who had the most picks in the draft, did their best to acquire talent, or as Sam Hinkie calls it, ‘assets’ on draft day. Embiid is the very definition of a high risk/ high reward pick. If he can remain relatively healthy, he could develop into a dominant paint protector and post producer for the Sixers. 

However, if he ends up being oft-injured, then the Sixers basically wasted one of the most important picks in recent franchise memory. Saric will be a nice player, but there are risks with his selection also. What if he gets injured before joining the SIxers, or decides against the NBA altogether? Unlikely, but still risky. The Sixers also got two future picks with Saric due to some shrewd draft day maneuvering by Sam Hinkie.

In the second round, the Sixers got a lot of value. McDaniels and Grant are excellent athletes that could develop into reliable rotation players. The Sixers also added to their guard depth with Micic, McRae, and the return of Pierre Jackson. All in all it was an eventful draft night for the Sixers, who added a lot of talent, but also took some real risks.

Magic: B: Three really solid picks for Orlando, as they addressed needs and added talent. Aaron Gordon is a great addition in Orlando, as he will provide the team with some need versatility up front. The Magic also needed a point guard and got a great one in Elfrid Payton.

Jazz: B+: Exum remains a mystery, but if he lives up to some of his potential, he could prove to be a great selection for Utah. He can share guard duties with Trey Burke, helping to alleviate concerns that he may struggle with point guard duties. Rodney Hood was a great pick at 23, as many had him pegged as a lottery pick. He will provide the Jazz with a solid scorer from the perimeter.

Celtics: A: The Celtics did quite well for themselves. They got themselves a Rajon Rondo-replacement in Smart, who could have potentially been a top-two pick had he draft declared last year. Smart has great size, strength, and instincts for a point guard. If he can improve his shot he will become extremely dangerous. In James Young, Boston could potentially the best shooting guard in the draft, and a player that can stretch the floor and serve as an offensive option for the young Celtics.

Lakers: B+: The Lakers lineup in thin currently, and they desperately needed to infuse some talent. In Julius Randle the team got a player than can come in and contribute right away. Randle led college hoops in double-doubles last season, and he was one of the most NBA-ready players in the draft. With Gasol’s future in L.A. an uncertainty, the Randle selection makes even more sense. Jordan Clarkson was also a nice value addition.

Kings: C: The Kings don’t seem to have a concrete plan, or a direct core to build around. Stauskas is a solid shooter, maybe the best in the draft other than Doug McDermott, but his fit with the Kings is the question. The Kings have a rather random roster, and a shooter with defensive deficiencies doesn’t appear to address any issue or make them much better.

Check out the rest of the grades here.